FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Cezar Guerrero
dropped a deep jump shot that boosted Fresno
State past Northern Arizona 71-67 after an agonizing chase through
overtime in the final of the Fresno State Classic on Sunday.
Five times during regulation, Marvelle
Harris, who had a game-high 27 points, put the Bulldogs in the lead by one or moved them into a tie down the stretch. Four times those situations lasted for just one
possession, but the fifth forced overtime at 62-62.
Harris broke the tie with a 3-pointer in
OT and added a free throw to tie again at 66, and Guerrero's jumper with 34
seconds left finally put Fresno State (6-3) up for good at 69-67 in a game
that saw 12 lead changes and seven ties.
Northern Arizona jumped out to an early 15-5 lead, as Max Jacobsen (21 points), Jordyn Martin (10) and Gaellan
Bewernick (10 points, 10 rebounds) had an answer for Harris until the
end.
"I thought a lot of guys stepped up today," said NAU coach Jack Murphy. "We're not going to face many more athletic teams like Fresno State. We
learned a lot about our team over these past few games. I thought we
got better at attacking the paint and we didn’t settle today. As we get
closer to conference time, we have to come up with a rotation, so it’s
good to see guys stepping up."
Quinton Upshur added 11 points while Jordyn Martin finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for the Lumberjacks (2-6).
NAU had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but a jumper by Kris Yanku bounced off the rim, sending the game into overtime.
